Articles (Journal) and Conference Papers
To find articles in journals and papers presented at conferences, use one or more of the following indexing services.
Highly Recommended:
- EI Compendex (covers all areas of engineering and manufacturing)
- ABI/Inform (covers all areas of business)
For Related Subject Fields use:
- Computing:
- Inspec (can be searched simultaneously with Compendex)
- ACM Digital Library
- IEEE Xplore
- Human Behavior
- Mathematics
- Multi-disciplinary (covers "all" subjects)
If The ASU Library does not have a copy of the journal article you need, request the article via our Interlibrary Loan service. The service is free and most articles are scanned and put in your account within 48 hours. For the fastest "turn-around" time, be sure to include the journal's ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) on the request.
Books
To Find Books in the ASU Library:
- Use the ASU Library's One Search
As the name implies, "Library One Search" locates items from across the ASU Library's collections and includes not just books but also articles from scholarly journals, trade magazines and newspapers, chapters from reference books, dissertations/theses, maps, data sets, photographs, government documents and much more. New material is being added almost every day.
Search titles, keywords or authors in the single search box; an advanced search feature is also available. When the results list is displayed, use the Content Type option in left column to limit the results to books/e-books.
- If the book is available in print, clicking on the title will take you to the ASU Library Catalog where you'll in which library the book is located, it's call number and whether it is checked out. Use the Request on the catalog record to recall a book that is checked out or to have a book shipped to the ASU Library of your choice.
- If the book is available online, clicking on the title or on the "Full Text" link will take you directly to the book.
- If the book is available in print, clicking on the title will take you to the ASU Library Catalog where you'll in which library the book is located, it's call number and whether it is checked out. Use the Request on the catalog record to recall a book that is checked out or to have a book shipped to the ASU Library of your choice.
To Find Books In Other Libraries:
- Use WorldCat.org
If the ASU Library doesn't have the book that you need, request the book via our Interlibrary Loan Service.
Many e-books can be found through the ASU Library Catalog.
To limit your search to e-books:
- After entering your keywords and viewing the results screen
- Select Full Text Online from the availability subheading on the right hand side and then select Books from the Resource Type heading.
Results will include a link to access the book.
*Many of our electronic books are listed in the catalog however, we also have several e-book collection in which you can use the native search engine for these collections:
Books from major publishers in all subject areas.
Books from major publishers in all subject areas.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
A collection of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
Full text of many books published by IEEE in addition to journal and conference articles and standards
Knovel
Over 2,000 science and engineering handbooks in which you can find facts, formula and property data.
Books from major publishers, organizations and government agencies in all subject areas.
Primarily books related to computer programming and other information technology areas.
Full-text of selected journals, books, book series, and reference works and the Online Archives Collection from science publisher Springer.
Synthesis Digital Library
Innovative online information service for the research, development and educational communities in engineering and computer science.
Case Studies
Some links to resources where you can find engineering and business case studies:
National Center for Professional & Research Ethics:
NSPE Board of Ethical Review Cases
Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions
Acadia Institute of Case Studies
Journal of "Case Studies in Engineering Failure Analysis"
General engineering search engines:
Engineering Village and/or
Knovel and use the keywords to find case studies.
Business indexing engines:
Then from the advanced search if you click on the “Document type” menu you can select case study
Or enter “case study” “case studies” in the keywords.
Use the link in the upper bar or in the lower righthand corner for case studies or you can alternatively search via keywords.
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias & Handbooks
Finding out about a topic, i.e., the "background" information, before doing literature research will help you increase your vocabulary so that you can search the best, most efficient words and also allow you to recognize appropriate books and journal articles even if the authors do not describe the topic the same way you do. The more you know about a topic, the better you'll be able to focus on a specific aspect that would be appropriate for your paper. Background information may be found in the following types of resources which generally provide a summary:
Industrial Engineering Dictionaries:
Business Dictionaries:
- BusinessDictionary.com
- For business dictionaries available in the ASU Library see the Libraries' Catalog
General Dictionaries:
Mathematics Dictionaries:
Sci/Tech Dictionaries:
Encyclopedias:
-
Encyclopedia of Materials - Science and Technology
11 vols. includes biomaterials - Scholarpedia
Peer-reviewed open source encyclopedia
Subject Encyclopedias:
Engineering-related Encyclopedias in the ASU Library include:
- Building the World: An Encyclopedia of the Great Engineering Projects in History
Located in the Noble Library, TA56 .I44 2006, shelved in the Science Reference collection. - International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors
Located in the Design Library, TA166 .I556 2001, shelved in the Architecture Reference collection. - To find other subject encyclopedias, use the ASU Library Catalog and KEYWORD search for your topic and encyclopedia*, for example, "human factors and encyclopedia*".
Handbooks
Handbooks provide a summary of a specific subject and frequently include data compilations and formulas. Handbooks are also a great place to look for "quick facts" about a topic.
Knovel
A full text, online collection of over 800 handbooks, data collections, and encyclopedias for science and engineering. This collection includes:
- Developing and Managing Engineering Procedures
- Energy Efficiency Handbook (contains interactive tables)
- Guidelines for Facility Siting and Layout
- Handbook of Human Systems Integration
- Juran's Quality Handbook
- Kodak's Ergonomic Design for People at Work (2nd edition)
- Manufacturing Engineer's Reference Book
- Maynard's Industrial Engineering Handbook (5th edition)
- Standard Handbook of Plant Engineering
- Wiley Guide to Project Management
- and many more!
Handbooks in the Libraries
To find handbooks available in the libraries, use the ASU Library's Catalog and do a keyword search for the topic and handbooks; examples:
Material Properties (How to Find)
Searching by keyword requires a fair amount of knowledge about both the property and the material. You could miss finding the data because the authors of the articles and books you're searching used different terminology OR you may accidently miss the answer that could be right in front of you, on the screen, or on the page because it's listed by a property symbol rather than the word. So before you begin your search, make sure you know the following.
- For the Property:
- Definition
What is being measured and what is it used for? If you know this you'll be able to judge an article/book/database more quickly as a likely source (or not) of the information you need. Example: Bulk Modulus deals with compressibility, a mechanical property, so if you are looking for the Bulk Modulus of a metal, then a book entitled "Mechanical Properties of Metals" would be a possibility but a book entitled "Corrosion in Metals" (corrosion is a chemical reaction) would not.
- Synonyms
Are there other words that are used for this property? Because it's impossible to know ahead of time what terminology an article/book/database will use, you should search by all the different ways used to describe the property. Examples: Young's Modulus = Modulus of Elasticity, Heat of Formation = Enthalpy of Formation or sometimes just Enthalpy; Molar Extinction Coefficient = Molar Absorptivity.
- Symbol
What is the symbol for your property? To save space in data tables sometimes the symbol is used as the header of a column rather than the property name. If you don't recognize the symbol, you may miss the answer that is staring you in the face!
- Unit of measurement
Know the unit of measurement for the same reason you need to know the symbol.
- Formula
What if you can't find the data for that specific property? If you know the formula for how that property can be calculated you may be able to find the data to fill in the formula and get the property you need.
- Inverse properties
Does your property have an inverse or reciprocal property? If yes, search for both properties. This situation is the same as described above under "Formula". If you can't find one you may be able to find the other and then convert. For example, electrical conductivity is the inverse of electrical resistivity.
- Field of study/subject area
Most books and databases are compilations of related property data, so a book's/database's title will use a term related to that property "group" rather than the name of a specific property. So if you're looking for heats of formation, you'll probably find more books/databases if you search for them by "Thermodynamics" or "Thermophysics" than you will about "Heat of Formations"
- Definition
- For the substance:
- Synonyms
As with properties, most substances may be called by many different names. You need to search all of the names by which the substance may be known.
- Chemical formula (if appropriate)
In many books and database, a chemical substance may be listed by it's molecular formula (MF) rather than by it's name. For searching purposes, you should add the MF to your list of synonyms for the substance.
As with the property symbol, publishers may use the MF as a space saver in a table rather than spelling out the substance name. So, even if you searched by the substance's name, you may end up with a table that lists the substances by MF instead of name.
Also, when viewing a data that is arranged by MF, note how the MFs are listed. The MFs wil seldom be arranged in the familiar order; for example, salt (NaCl) is likely to be listed with the components in strict alphabetical order, ClNa. Another common way to list MFs is by "Hill Order"; inorganic substances are listed in strict alphabetical order by their components, however, organics are listed by carbon (C), hydrogen (H), followed by the remaining components in alphabetical order.
- Material Type
As with the property's "field of search", it is sometimes necessary to search the substance by it's "group" or "material type". Books/databases frequently compile data for groups of substances such as plastics, polymers, metals, minerals, semiconductors, etc.
- Synonyms
Start with Knovel
It's the database with the greatest range of both substances and properties. Knovel will also help fill in the knowledge gaps if you are unfamiliar with your substance or property.
KnovelUse this database to search the full text of thousands of handbooks and encyclopedias from all areas of science and engineering. Use the search box on the home page to search for a topic or switch to a Data Search to look for property data for specific substances.
Recommended Search Techniques:
- Text Searching
If you need to fill in knowledge gaps about the substance or the property, use the basic text search for either the substance or the property (but not both). Enter the most commonly used name. On the results list, use the left-hand column to limit the results to "Text Sections". After the results page has refreshed look for items that are encyclopedias or books that seem to be an introduction to the topic. Although dictionaries could be helpful, they usually do not provide enough information.
Unfamiliar with Knovel's Text Search? View this short tutorial (3m 14s) - Data Searching
Although you can do a search for both the substance and property using the basic text search, we recommend the "Data Search" (button is located directly under the search box).
Unfamiliar with Knovel's Data Search? View this short tutorial. (2m 27s)
- Use the Equation Solver
As mentioned under "What to Search", point A5, if you know there is a formula that can be used to calculate the data you need, it may be easier to fill in the formula than it is to find experimentally discovered property data. Knovel has over 1,000 equations from all areas of engineering and some from math. From the Knovel home page, on the dark gray tool bar, click on "Tools" and then click on "Interactive Equations."
You can do this step in the search process at any time; you many want to try a few more resources to see if you can find the exact data you need before resorting to solving it via a formula.
Several instructional options are available about Knovel's Interactive Equations:- Interactive Equations (3m 38s)
A brief video introduction to the type of equations available and the worksheet. - Equation Solver (4m 42s)
A more detailed video on the features within the worksheets - Advanced Help
This section contains advanced instructional materials including video demonstrations on doing arithmetic and functional calculations, the User Guide, an FAQ section, and a "cheat sheet" for keyboard shortcuts.
- Interactive Equations (3m 38s)
Databases and books are available that compile property data from many different sources. These databases and books usually cover many related properties for substances within a "group" such as metals, plastics, organic chemicals, etc. so they are convenient ways to cover a lot of ground with just a few searches.
- Databases and Internet Resources:
- Alloy Phase Diagram Database
Over 36,500 binary and ternary phase diagrams, associated phase data (crystal, reaction, and transformation) and bibliographic references for more than 6200 systems. Explore (browse) the database from an alphabetical list of elemental components or search by typing in the components. ASU Library subscription database.
- ARS Pesticides Properties Database
"Compendium of chemical,physical and environmental properties of 334 widely used pesticides. Free web database.
- ASM Handbooks Online
The online version of the 20+ volume "Metals Handbook" plus supplements, desk editions and archives. Covers all types of metals and all types of properties; search or browse features available. Volume 23 of the Handbook covers materials for medical devices. ASU Library subscription database.
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
Contains basic physical properties (boiling point, melting point, density, refractive index and solubility) for approximately 11,000 elements and compounds. Additional types of property data is also available but coverage is limited in each category to small groups of selected compounds. ASU Library subscription database.
- EPA's Chemistry Dashboard
Covers over 741,000 Chemicals. Also available as "CompTox Mobile" app for iphone/ipad. Includes:- Wikipedia entry
- Intrinsic Properties
- Structural Identifiers
- Record Information
- Chemical Properties
- Synonyms
- Links to external sites with info
- Product Compositions
- Bioassays
- Exposures
- Analytical Methods
- Literature
- Comments
- INCHEM
"Internationally peer reviewed information on chemicals commonly used throughout the world, which may also occur as contaminants in the environment and food." Covers publications from 14 international agencies. Free web database.
- MatWeb
Properties of polymers, metals, ceramics, semiconductors and fibers. Free web database.
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
"Presents key data for chemicals or substance groupings (such as cyanides, fluorides, manganese compounds) that are found in workplaces. The guide offers key facts, but does not give all relevant data. The NPG helps users recognize and control workplace chemical hazards." Free web database.
- NIST Data Gateway: Free Online Databases
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides a variety of property databases, many of which are freely available on the web. Most of the databases cover physical and chemical properties and math functions although a few are related to biomedicine. Free web databases.
- NPIC Fact Sheets
The National Pesticide Information Center provides "active Ingredient Fact Sheets [that] summarize the current knowledge for each pesticide ingredient, and are not intended to be an exhaustive review of available scientific information. These fact sheets include information on the chemicals' physical characteristics, mode of action, regulation, health effects, and environmental fate. Our goal is to present relevant scientific information from credible sources." Written for the general public. Free web database.
- SciFinder
For ASU authorized users only, REQUIRES REGISTRATION. To access properties of chemical substances, switch search to "Substance Identifier", input the substance name or CAS Registry number; on the results page, click on the CAS Registry number above the structure box for that substance. Covers experimental and predictive acoustical, biological, chemical, electrical, electronic, flow/diffusion, interface, magnetic, mechanical, optical and thermal properties. ASU Library subscription database.
- SOLV-DB
Contains chemical, physical and environmental fate data for solvents. Health, safety, and regulatory information is also covered. Free web database.
- ToxNet (Toxicology Data Network)
The U.S. National Library of Medicine provides 16 databases covering toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases. Free Web Databases.
- Where to find Material Safety Data Sheets on the Internet
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS, sometimes called Safety Data Sheets, SDS) cover information needed by employers and workers who use these materials. Although not intended for use outside of the workplace, these documents do provide some physical and chemical property data plus toxicity, fire-fighting measures, and safe storage and handling procedures. Free web database.
- Alloy Phase Diagram Database
- Books
- Landolt-Börnstein series (L-B)
QC61 L36x Science Reference
This extensive collection contains property data gathered from literature from the 1960s to 2002. Coverage includes data related to nuclear and particle physics, molecules and radicals, crystals and solid state physics, macroscopic properties, physical chemistry, geophysics, astrophysics and biophysics. To identify what property data is available in this set and in which volume, use the Springer Materials database. Please note that the ASU Library do not have a subscription to Springer Materials, however searching within the database is free and the free portion of each record will tell you where the information is within L-B. For L-B items within Springer Materials that were added after 2002 and for the Springer Material information added from sources other than L-B, please use our Interlibrary Loan service.
- ASU Library One Search
the ASU Library has many books that contain property data, however, searching for them requires a special strategy. Most of these books focus on a group of related substances and/or properties and their titles can be generic. Searching for a specific property of a specific substance does not work because the catalog looks at only the book title and in some cases, a table of contents; the catalog does not look at the full text of the book. To find these books, the searcher must think more broadly.
If researcher needs to find the heat of formation for a specific substance, they would have more success if they searched for books about thermodynamics or thermophysical properties and the type of substance. (Example: a keyword search for THERMODYNAMICS FLUIDS) In the table below are suggestions for Substance Group Names, Property Groupings/Subjects, and the types of books that contain data; if you have a better way to describe a group (whether of substances or properties), search that as well. We recommend a 3-pronged search strategy:- Substance Group AND Property/Subject Area
- Substance Group AND Book Type
- Property/Subject Area AND Book Type
Substance Groupings Property Groups Or Subject Areas Book Types Adhesives
Agricultural Chemicals
Alloys
Anti-corrosives
Biological Products
Building Materials
Chemical Elements
Chemicals
Concrete
Crystals
Elastomers
Films
Gases
Glass
Hazardous Substances
Heat Resistant Materials
Herbicides
Hydrocarbons
Inorganic Compounds
Liquids
Lubricants
Masonry
Materials
Metal Crystals
Metals
Minerals
Nanocomposites
Nanocrystals
Nanofluids
Nanogels
Nanoparticles
Nanostructured Materials
Nanostructures
Nanotubes
Nanowires
Organic Compounds
Pavements
Pesticides
Plants
Plastics
Pollutants
Polymers
Porous Materials
Proteins
Resins
Road Materials
Rubber
Salts
Semiconductors
Soils
Solids
Solvents
WoodAcoustic Properties
Adsorption
Attenuation
Bioavailability
Biochemistry
Biodegradation
Cancer
Carcinogenicity
Chemistry
Corrosion
Defects
Electric Properties
Electrochemical Constants
Electrochemistry
Environmental Aspects
Equilibrium
Fatigue
Fluid Dynamics
Hardness
Health Aspects
Heat Transmission
Impact Testing
Ionization
Kinetics
Magnetic Properties
Mechanical Properties
Optical Properties
Physics
Physiological Effects
Plastic Properties
Properties
Solubility
Stability
Strain
Stress
Surfaces
Thermal Properties
Thermochemistry
Thermodynamics
Thermophysical Properties
Toxicity
Toxicology
Transport PropertiesCharts
Handbooks
Tables
- Landolt-Börnstein series (L-B)
For the search strategy, search:
- specific property name AND the specific substance name
- specific property name AND the substance group
- property group AND the specific substance name
- property group AND substance group
Bibliographic Databases
The following databases cover the title, abstract (summary), and subject terms for each document but do not allow you to search the full text.
- EI Compendex/Inspec
Covers journal articles and conference papers in physics and engineering. - IEEE Xplore
Covers the publications (journal articles, conference papers and some books) of the IEEE and a few other publishers. Subject coverage is for electrical engineering and its application to other subject areas. - SciFinder
Covers journal articles and conference papers in all areas of pure and applied chemistry.
In Step 3, you searched this database by the substance search; in this case, use the research topic search. This database requires ASU students, staff, and faculty to register (free); if you have not registered previously click on this link.
Full Text Databases
- Google Books
Books published prior to 1925 are fully accessible; all other books will either provide only a small snippet of the page where the words were found or will not display any text at all. To see if the book is available in the ASU Library, at the Libraries' home page (http://lib.asu.edu), use the Library One Search database to search for the book's title; refine results set by selecting "Book/eBook" in the left-hand column under "Content Type" - Google Scholar
Use either the full text link or the "Get It @ ASU" link to connect to the full text (if available from the ASU Library) - Library One Search
- Academic Search Premier
- Publisher Websites
- ACS (American Chemical Society)
- RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry)
- Science Direct (Elsevier)
- Springer Link (Springer Verlag)
Patents
A patent is a government grant bestowing certain property rights on the inventor; these rights usually permit the inventor to exclude others from making, using, or selling the invention.
For more information about patents and finding/research patents please see the ASU Library's
For more detailed assistance you may consider consulting the Arizona State Library's
Product & Supplier Catalogs
- CPG Product Supplier Directory (EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines)
Sources of recovered/recycled material. - Quality Magazine Buyers Guide
- Sweets Network (aka Sweets Catalog)
- ThomasNet (aka Thomas Register of American Manufacturers)
Standards & Codes
For more detailed information about standards at the ASU Library, please see the Standards Guide
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Full text of IEEE standards available in IEEEXplore
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
SEMI (semi.org; "global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chain for the micro- and nano-electronics industries")
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
Search Engines for Standards
ANSI Search (formerly NSSN)
Codes
US Local Codes (MAD CAD)
Links to online codes for all 50 states plus US Territories; within each state links are provided to websites of county, city, town and jurisdiction agencies and to their respective codes when available online.
Statistical Information
- Statistical Abstract of the United States
"Comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States."
- Pew Research Center
"Numbers, facts and trends shaping your world." Includes information on the following:- Polls on Politics, Policy and Media
- Religion and Public Life
- Research and Analysis on News Media
- Internet and Information Technology Trends
- Latino Trends and Attitudes
- State Policy and Political News
- International Opinion Polls
- Social and Demographic Trends
- Proquest Statistical Insight
Indexes statistical information produced by the U.S. government, state governments, & selected private organizations (1971-). Includes access to the American Statistics Index (1973-), Statistical Reference Index (1980-), and Index to International Statistics (from 1983-).
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIRPI)
Data on international relations and security; data for armed forces, arms production, military expenditure, population, education, housing and water supply, economics, labor, security, armed conflicts, and human rights.
- ZipWho
Not associated with the U.S. Census Bureau; database contains U.S. Census data and is searchable by zip code or demographic variable.
Technical Reports
To identify what technical reports exist on a particular topic, use:
- National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Contains over 2 million research citations from 1964 to the present. In addition to technical reports, also covers some computer products, software, video and audio material. Covers all subject areas of U.S. federally sponsored research and select foreign governments.
- Department of Defense (DoD):
- Department of Energy (DOE):
- Science Accelerator
Searches all of the following databases from one search interface:
- Science Accelerator
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Geological Survey (USGS)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Science.gov
Searches over 36 scientific databases and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to 1,850+ scientific Websites. Covers all types of government publications in addition to technical reports.
- Worldwide Science
A single search interface for freely available English-language documents on the web; participating databases include those from: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States (science.gov).
To find the full text of a specific report:
- Some technical reports are freely available on the Web at the sponsoring agency's website, try:
- Using Google or another Internet search engine to find the report either by title, author, or report number
- Go to the sponsoring agency's website and browse/search the site
- TRAIL (Technical Report Archive and Image Library)
An ongoing project to digitize technical reports issued prior to 1975. As of September 2008, mostly NBS (National Bureau of Standards) and some AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) reports were available. U.S. Bureau of Mines may appear soon.
- The ASU Library have some technical reports in the collections of Noble Library (Tempe Campus) and in our Government Documents Department (3rd floor, Hayden Library, Tempe Campus) in either print, microfiche, and/or CD. If the document(s) you need is not on the Web, check for availability by calling either Gov Docs (480-965-3390) or Noble Library (480-965-2600) or using our Ask a Librarian's service at http://lib.asu.edu/ask-a-librarian.
- If the document(s) you need is not available in the ASU Library, ASU faculty/students may submit an Interlibrary Loan request
